Every December 30, there is a party next door to Club Barbados
hosted by The X Factor's very own Simon Cowell. Rumour has it that
a few Club guests managed to get in once and rub shoulders with A-list
celebrities as music played into the early hours.

Sir Cliff Richard, arguably the island's most famous citizen,
pops down to the local shops. A roll call of the rich and famous, from
Tiger Woods to Madonna, have stayed just along the road at the famous
Sandy Lane resort.

The Club is on the same stretch of sand. But prices here, for an
all-inclusive week complete with five spa treatments, rum tasting, water
sports and other activities, are not just for the stars.

It's an adults-only resort with a high number of repeat guests
and, given its location and a beautiful stretch of beach on the Platinum
Coast on the west of the island, it's easy to see why.

Club Barbados is in a prime spot near Holetown and makes you feel
like a star. A spa room comes with treatments, including body scrubs,
Swedish massage and facials.

In the interests of research, I tried them myself and they were top
drawer.

Barbados has given the sea turtle special protected status and a
boat trip to swim alongside these graceful creatures in beautiful warm
turquoise waters was the highlight of my trip.

Back on dry land, the hotel also offers Bajan cooking, an
entertaining take on Ready Steady Cook without Ainsley Harriott but with
a lesson in how to prepare island specialities and sauces.

Best of all, you get to sample the prepared dishes yourself in the
Bajan restaurant - a must for any guest. As is rum tasting with the
famous Mount Gay brand - officially the oldest in the world - which
delivers a cheering afterglow.

You could happily while away the days on the beach or by the pool.
But at 21 miles long by 14 miles wide, you can drive anywhere in
Barbados in an hour. And such are the contrasts and beauty of island
life, it's worth getting out and about to see every corner. I took
a "reggae bus" into the capital, Bridgetown. The small
vehicles are a great way to meet people as they go to and from work,
hopping on and off for just two Bajan dollars, which is around 60p a
ride.

The music is at the discretion of the driver and the conductor,
with rap and Motown favourites on my journey to and from Bridgetown.

Passengers sway as it makes its way along the coastal route from
Holetown, past sandy beaches and homes with names such as Milord, Turtle
Cottage and Indigo Bay. It must surely be one of the most picturesque
bus journeys anywhere on the planet.

Bridgetown is worth a visit if only for its thriving, colourful
shops and markets, that and seeing the locals waving and giving each
other high fives as they weave their way through the tourists.

Beware of street vendors who urge you to buy from them rather than
the big stores - they start at the very top end of their price range,
and it is up to the buyer to try to work their way down to the middle
ground.

It's also worth taking a guided tour of the island, which will
take you from Harrison's Cave in the north where there are also the
amazing new marinas for the super-rich visitors, to the breathtaking
views of Bathsheba, the surfers' paradise of the east coast.

Add to that a lush interior of plantation properties and chattel houses (a type of moveable home) and Barbados is a photographer's
dream.

You can cram in a lot of sights in a fairly short space of time.
But surely the most precious resource is the people, always ready to
chat, offering help and advice or just shooting the breeze.

Back at Club Barbados, even the birds come out to greet you. The
meals are a real treat, with a la carte dining in the evening combined
with a brilliant buffet at lunchtime, and you can take back a bun or two
to feed your feathered friends on the balcony of your room.

Like so much of this trip, it is an experience which will live long
in the memory.